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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

In conjunction with the Merdeka post, here is another Malaysian event. I was fortunate enough to drop by KLCC Convention Centre last Thursday for FHM (Food&Hotel Malaysia) 2007 as I have not been to one before. Held every 2 years, FHM 2007 (22 August - 25 August) showcased food/drinks, service equipment, supplies and related technology etc. All three levels of the hall were filled with over 600 international and local exhibitors and it was definitely a nicer experience for me (as compared to going to the same place for PC Fair! Hahaha...). Of course, there were lots of drinks and food sampling, I guess this is why the show is not open to the public but only to those from the food industry. I could have spent the whole day here as there were so many things to see and food/drinks to taste. Anyway, here are the photos (mainly food shots!)...

Colourful cupcakes

I was like in dessert heaven! I could almost hear the angels sing! If I was lost and in a desert, I would want to have a mirage like this! LOL....Chocolates! Chocolates! Chocolates!

The three pics above display the creation for decorative chocolate.Green tea cakes and bunsFood creation at almost every corner of the hall!"Heinz" is THE word for the food sample here!

The sample hot doggie dog that was part of my lunch!

The gelato ice cream was nice and smooth, not too sweet either! :o)

All these under one roof??? Wait, there's more! Not forgetting the culinary competition; to be continued...

Monday, August 27, 2007

Babe_KL had asked a group of us to take part in this year's Merdeka Open House 2007 : Muhibbah, a virtual celebration of Malaysia's Independence Day which she will be hosting. What we have to do is to either cook or post on a favourite dish of ours from a different ethnic. Since this is my first time taking part in such an event, I had to check with Babe_KL whether I could just repost an old food entry of mine; one that is truly my favourite. Ayam Percik from Kota Bahru!

The Ayam Percik here in Kota Bahru has a very distinctive flavour and there isn't one that comes close to it here in Klang Valley. I was presently surprised when I received an email from Michael, an American residing in South Georgia.

"Hi, What a great post you did about food in Khota Bharu and ayampercik. I've been trying to make that ever since I was there ten years ago. Twice a year I google it for recipes and your post was the best thing I've seen yet. That tangy sauce is hard to get right.

I posted a link to your blog on mine because I've been telling stories about how good the food is in Khota Bharu for a long time and your pictures really brought it to life for me. Thank you!"

And when I replied a short note to him saying that food in Kota Bahru is great....food in Malaysia is great, this was his reply :-

"You are so right, I ate my way across Malaysia and loved every minute of it. I thought Penang was great for eating, there's such variety; its still the best south Indian vegetarian I've had anywhere. For Malaysian food KB was fantastic and I had a great time on those islands east of there."

Well, you can imagine how great the Ayam Percik here is since Michael still remembers it ten years later! Well, what can I say...except this

The is the last installment in the KotaBahru Food Trip series! The night before we left, we headed to YatiAyamPercik (Spicy BBQ Chicken) for dinner. I had eaten at this place before many years ago and looked forward to it again as the chicken was delicious. Before I totally forget how it was, it was timely indeed that I manage to pay another visit to this place yet again, refreshing my memory and reminding my taste buds.

Located at 847, Jalan Long Yunus - you can smell the lovely aroma of food all around!

Food galore! Look at all these really big woks of dishes and different types of curry gravy!

There's a large grilling pit at one corner where all the cooking action is happening; staff basting the meat with the delicious gravy once in awhile.

We opted for plain rice with a bit of fried desiccated coconut, beansprouts, some leaves and gravy. Good enough to eat on its own!

Finally, the most delicious AyamPercik I have ever eaten! The secret is in the gravy that makes it so good. Somehow, I have been unable to find the same tasty gravy served with AyamPercik here in the Klang Valley. It's creamy with a hint of coconut and unknown wonderful spices (unknown to me, that is)...eating there, I was happy that we could ask for extra gravy. Now, this is what I call "Finger licking good!"

For those who might want to try their hand at cooking AyamPercik themselves, I found some recipes online; here, here and here (might not be as good as Yati's though). Try your hand at them and let me know if any of them are good. If yes, do invite me for a meal! Ha ha ha...

If you are ever in KotaBahru, this is one of the places that you must eat at! Opening Hours: Saturday-Thursday (noon-11.30pm); Friday (3pm-11.30pm) Phone: 09-7479867.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

It was indeed a sweet escape as the five of us attended Gwen Stefani's concert in BukitJalil last night. Czar, Glorious Jade and her kids thronged the Putra Stadium and some of us had our bodies frisked as security was pretty tight. With the concert scheduled to start at 8.30pm, we found ourselves still waiting in line at that time and I was praying that they would only start when all of us got in.

Thankfully, we made our way in and sharp at 9pm, the concert started with the familiar music intro of "Sweet Escape". The audience and yours truly was in a frenzy state, I was in awe that I was seeing Gwen Stefani in person (though she had been here many many years ago while touring with No Doubt). Well, she made good on her promise about covering up; jackets and leggings but still very much the Gwen Stefani we have seen on TV! Stylish blond hair, beautiful face and a lovely figure (look at those muscular arms and slender legs - you can't tell that she had given birth just last year!). I felt like I was dreaming and only the screams of this girl beside me brought me back to reality! I enjoyed myself tremendously and the concert went by so fast; it was over by 10.30 after a two song encore. I'm back to dreaming now.....it was a great night of entertainment! Here are some random photos from the concert.

Sweet Escape

Yummy - that's the name of the song!

4 In The Morning

Wind It Up

The playful Harajuku Girls (sadly, Gwen didn't perform that song)

Hollaback Girl

A candid shot of her being surprised by her backup dancers as they were introduced.

After prompting the audience to sing along with her, she gave the audience who were sitting far behind a pleasant surprise. She went right to the other end of the stadium and sang "Cool", shook hands and posed for the crowd at the back. That was truly a very nice gesture of a true star.

Singing "The Real Thing"

The last song just before she waved goodnight was "What You Waiting For"

Moments just before the show finally came to an end....

"Waking up to find another day, the moon got lost again last night....."- 4 in the morning, Gwen Stefani

Monday, August 20, 2007

It was great being one of the receipient of some celebratory goodies from Boo_licious (I only found out when I saw the post!). Masak-Masak just celebrated 1 million hits and she decided to make some cupcakes to mark the occasion.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Yes! This is the last part to my random pics of Spain. Phew! If I were to post all my pics here at the rate I am doing it, it'll probably last me for the next couple of years. Ha ha ha....Enjoy, and have a good weekend (or what's left of it...LOL)!

Plaza De Espana in Seville - this place was used (though digitally modified) as a setting for Naboo in Star Wars II - Attack Of The Clones!

This was one of the best cake I've ever tasted during one of my coffee time in Granada - it's a whisky torte ice cream cake! I hope I got it right as I ordered pointing to a pic in the menu and I saw whisky torte written next to it.

Cute "tricycles", for the tired or lazy tourist who wants a view of town the easy way. Hee hee....

Souvenirs for sale in one of the many small lanes in Cordoba. Note the Mesquita souvenirs on the wall, below is a photo of the place itself when we took a tour there.

The lovely tiles souvenirs sold in Cordoba. They also have mirrors, clocks or just plain decorative tiles.

And I shall end with one of my favourite photos from Spain. Came across this street performer in this lovely area in Cordoba. I like looking at this shot, serene and peaceful. Most houses in this area have little flower pots on the exterior wall of their houses. How pretty!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Had dinner with Teckiee one evening and contrary to what one might think of floggers, we sometimes run out of ideas of what and where to eat. After throwing few suggestions around, Teckiee suggested Alisan Mamak and told me to try Mee Diao. I had no idea what she was talking about as that was my first time hearing of such noodles and of Alisan Mamak.

After she navigated me to Alisan Mamak, I realised that I eat at this place now and then; usually the Assam Laksa and the Teochew Chai Kuih (Masak-masak mentioned that it's Teochew Crystal Dumplings due to their translucent skin). Turns out the Mee Diao that Teckiee spoke about is from the same stall that I have been patronizing all this while. I find the Kedah Assam Laksa here average but lots of customers love it. We were quite blessed that evening as the usual long queue was not seen at this stall as some folks were probably staying away due to the looming rain clouds above us.

For a stall of this size, they sell quite a variety of noodles, local kuihs and tong sui.

Pots and pots of soup and tong sui at the side of the stall.

I've not tried the Mee Jawa before and we decided to order that and Mee Diao. The Mee Jawa soup would have been better if it was thicker but taste wise was quite good. I enjoyed the fritters that came with the noodles, at RM3.50 (USD1) for a small plate, I couldn't ask for more.

The Teochew Mee Diao was akin to economy fried noodles. Plain with shredded carrots, bean sprouts and chives (no meat); the noodles seem to be a slightly thicker wheat version of vermicelli. Eventhough it came pale looking, the noodles were actually very palatable and the addition of the dollop of green chilli padi (bird's eye chili) and garlic paste made this such a treat at just RM2.20(USD0.60) a plate! Teckiee, thanks for introducing this noodles to me!

We ordered two versions of the crystal dumplings, both filled with shredded cooked turnips and the other version with additional chives (the chive filled ones are at the bottom in the photo above). I like the dumplings here as the skin is thin and soft; fresh ones definitely.

The Guan Chang Kuih is something that we might be able to get from the market but not easily from stalls. Over here at this place though, you can find both the steam and the fried variety. I like the steam version better, it's floury and with soft bits of peanuts in it. It has a very nice flavour and it's tasty enough to be eaten on its own without any chili sauce. I really can't make out what it's made of but it seems to be of a mixture of both flour and a bit of glutinous rice. All the local kuihs are at RM0.70 (USD0.20) each.

We finished off our satisfying meal by sharing a bowl of Mak Chook tong sui (barley wheat) which was smooth and not that sweet! Not bad at all at RM1.20 (USD0.35) for a small bowl.

Directions : Coming from Taman Bahagia LRT on your left, turn right at the traffic lights. Then immediately take the left turn, that would take you to SS2/4A. You will see a row of stalls out in the open. This Kedah Assam Laksa stall is at the end of the row, self-service. This stall opens after 7.30pm and doesn't seem to have a fix day for rest. Call to check at 012-3912082.

I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond. ~ Mae West

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